Game



C. L. SMITH March 5, 1940.

GAME

Filed July 24, 1939 m @Mi Charles.

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Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices, and more particularly togames.

This invention has as an object a novel game of simple constructionwhich presents varied interesting opportunities for skillful play. Otherobjects will appear hereinafter.

My new game is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which the Fig.l is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 2 is aV section through the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

v Fig. 3 is a plan View of the numeral face of a playing piece;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the reverse side of the same piece;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the numeral face of another playing piece;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the reverse side of the tile shown in Fig. 5;and

Fig. 7 is the numbered face of a different form of playing piece.

My new game consists of a game board l and for each player a'duplicateset of elongated numbered playing pieces or tiles, which are mostconveniently of rectangular form. The pieces of one set are designatedby the numeral 2 and the pieces of the other set by the numeral 3. Inthe best embodiment of the game the set of playing pieces for eachplayer includes an additional piece, one of which is indicated by thenumeral 4 and the other by the numeral 5. These two pieces aredistinguished from the remaining pieces of each set by a specialcharacter, F. D. in the present instance representing Flying Dome as thename of the piece. In the illustration shown, the numbered pieces bearthe numbers 2, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 'l and 8 and these pieces, as are thepieces l and 5, appropriately differentiated on the side bearing thenumeral or character, as by color of the character or back-ground, todistinguish one set of the playing pieces from those of the other set.The reverse face of all the playing pieces are plain colored, asindicated in Fig. 4, and these faces on the pieces of each set are oflike color, the color on the pieces of one set being different from thaton the other set as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6.

The game board is provided with a plurality of rows of aligned stations6 presenting a boundary l, formed by lines, an indentation or opening inthe board or by an embossment, within which the playing pieces or tilesmay be arranged either vertically or horizontally as shown in thedrawing in the case of the two tiles numbered 3 and 8. These stations Epreferably consist of cross-shaped openings extending into the face ofthe board, a convenient form of construction being to form the board oftwo laminae, the upper one I3 being formed with the cross-shapedopenings extending entirely through and the lower one M forming abacking supporting the pieces when placed in the openings.

A convenient method of making the game board consists in providing lines8, 9, IB and ll forming a series of right angled parallelograms, andforming the cross-shaped openings in the corners and in the middle ofeach side eicept in the case of the innermost square or rectanglebounded by line I l where the cross-shaped opening is placed in thecenter. This arrangement presents the cross-shaped openings in verticaland horizontal rows each of which contains at least three openings orcontains at least a multiple of three. The center vertical andhorizontal rows in the drawing contain '7 openings and all other rowshave three openings. Each playing station or cross-shaped opening 6,except the center one, is preferably surrounded by a circle or otherfigure and these circles connected by lines indicating the direction orline of play. For this purpose the lines l5 joining the center openingwith those surrounding it are required in addition to lines 8, 9 and I0forming the boundaries of the previously mentioned squares orrectangles. The board is provided at the sides with openings, thenumeral I2 indicating the opening vacated by the two playing pieces inthe playing stations, for receiving the playing pieces before the gamebegins.

The game may be played by using both the numbered and plain coloredsides of the playing pieces or it may be simplied by using either one ofthese sides. One method of play involving both sides of playing piecesof the kind shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 is as follows.

The players alternately place one of their tiles with the numeral facingup in any cross-shaped opening and either in a vertical or in ahorizontal position. Each player attempts to get, against the blockingtactics of his opponent, three of his pieces in three successiveopenings joined by the previously mentioned lines with the furtherrequirements that the pieces be all vertically or all horizontallyaligned and that the numbers total a given number. This total is ascoring combination and credits the player with one point. I prefer touse playing pieces numbered as illustrated and let the player score whenhe obtains any one of the totals 10, l5 or 20.

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After all numbered tiles are on the board each player in turn may movehis piece one space or may jump one tile, either his own or an opponentsin attempt to make a scoring combination or to obstruct the opponentschances. Tiles jumped are not removed from the board. But in eithermoving or in jumping the player piece must always reverse its previousposition. That is, a piece positioned vertically in a cross-shapedopening must be positioned horizontally in the opening to which it hasmoved or jumped. No scoring combination is made with the same threetiles in the same way twice in succession.

After one player has scored iive points, all the playing pieces areturned over as they lie on the board, thus giving each player eightplain colored tiles. Each player then places the piece bearing thespecial character', labeled F. D. in the present instance, and the playcontinues as before in an effort to make or prevent a scoringcombination. This piece has a greater latitude in movement than theother pieces and is privileged to move to any opening on the board, butin moving it must also reverse its former posi tion and cannot reverseits position without moving to another opening. Each scoring combination, which is now made by three successive aligned pieces of thesame player, or by two of such tiles aligned with the piece marked F.D., now credits the player with one point and also the privilege ofremoving one of his opponents pieces, except the mentioned specialpiece, from the board. Three aligned pieces of thesame color appearingfrom the act of turning over the tiles does not count toward the score.When a players strength has been reduced to three pieces, two plaincolored ones and they special piece, the player so handicapped may moveany of his three pieces without any restriction whatever to make orprevent a scoring combination. For each such combination the handicappedplayer is credited with two points and the privilege of `removing one ofthe opponents pieces except the special piece. When one player has beenreduced to two pieces, a plain colored one and the 'special piece, thegame is ended and the player with the greater number of points wins. Theabove described game, which I have called Whichway is capable oi a.great many variations designed either to complicate or to simplify thepossibilities offered for skillful and ingenious play. Thus the4rirethod outlined above may be changed to play the special pieceiinmediately after the play with the numbered pieces is completed, thespecial piece always being assumed to total with any two numbers one ofthe previously mentioned totals, or the plain sides of the pieces onlymay be used, the special piece being played just after the players haveplaced the other pieces. Another method consists in using, with orwithout the special piece, only the numbered faces of the tiles. Thetile shown in Fig. '7, designated by the numeral I6 is a convenientform. When the gaine is played in this manner it is desirable that thetwo pieces of the two players be distinguished but it is not necessarythat the opposite sides of the tiles be dierently colored.

claim:

l. In a gaine, a game board provided With a plurality of cross shapedopenings having vertical and horizontal arms, said openings being ar.ranged in rows on the board, each row containi1' ing at least three ofsaid Openings with the Vertical and horizontal arms aligned, and playingpieces shaped to t in said openings to ll substantially the entire spaceacross the same in the vertical or horizontal direction only wherebysaid playing pieces may be positioned interchangeably in eitherdirection in said cross shaped openings to position said playing piecesin groups of three in either vertical or horizontal alignment.

2. In a game, a gaine board provided with cross shaped openings havingvertical and horizontal arms, said openings having their vertical andhorizontal arms aligned and being arranged on the board at the cornersand middle points of the sides of each of a series of successive smallerparalleiograms one within the other, and playing pieces shaped to nt insaid openings to fill substantially the entire space across the same inthe vertical or horizontal direction only whereby said playing piecesmay be positioned inter changeably in either direction in said crossshaped openings to position said playing pieces in groups of .three ineither vertical or horizontal alignment.

3. The game set forth in claim l in which the playing pieces consist oftwo sets carrying numbers on one side and in which the pieces of eachset are of like vcolor on at least o-ne side but of different color fromthat on at least one side of the pieces of the other set.

CHARLES LYNN SMITH.

